Today in the Kansas Statehouse, Governor Sam Brownback walked the halls, waiting to see what would happen next. “I’m just having a sandwich,” he told Representative Gail Finney, Wichita. “Long day.”
What makes for a long day in the state house was occurring at the other end of the building, where the Kansas Senate would begin the process of voting for Medicaid Expansion. Through surrogates, Governor Brownback spent the day lobbying against the measure to no avail; accusing Republicans who voted for the position as favoring abortion and funding Planned Parenthood, or wanting to bankrupt the state.
Senate President Susan Wagle (R-Wichita) warned that the state of Kansas was stepping into an abyss, saying that there were no assurances, “We’ve had a debate to end Obamacare. Why would we do this now,” which led to Republican Senator Vicki Schmidt, R-Topeka to note, “Paul Ryan says this is the law of the land for the foreseeable future.”
But before we came to this point, some legislators toiled for years trying to reach consideration, “Remember when we used to wear red in support of healthcare?” said Senator Barbara Bollier. Across the hall, that morning, Democratic Minority Leader Jim Ward, who has brought up the issue of Medicaid expansion in the state house for years, had to smile. Wearing a dash of red today, hoping for improved medical services for Kansas’ communities, his multi-year fight was finally nearing the finish line.
Republican senators made last minute proposals to amend and alter the bill, including a proposal by Senator Dennis Pyle (R), who asked that Medicaid Expansion not be extended to “any sanctuary city”. This led to Senator John Doll, R-Garden City, to argue, “how the heck do you even determine that,” and Senator Oletha Faust Goudeau to note, “People who need care will get it at emergency centers. And that hurts all of us. But are you prepared to go back to your district and tell them you didn’t care about their healthcare?”
For Representative Jim Ward and the Democratic Party members, along with Republicans in the house who had waited for this moment for years, the payoff was worth it. Members gathered along the viewing balcony area, watching what would happen next. Representative Elizabeth Bishop (D-Wichita) sat in the balcony watching the debate. “This is about our future,” she said, telling me it came down to doing the right thing for Kansas.
As Representatives and lobbyists filtered in and out of the room, the feeling grew that there was no stopping the bill from moving forward. Amendments died. Senator Mary Pilcher Cook, R-Shawnee, argued that “this is going to cost Kansans money and our soul,” noting her belief that this would fund Planned Parenthood, abortion, and other matters. While Democratic Party members reminded her that the Hyde amendment specifically prevented that.
Senator Jim Dennings, Republican, Johnson County Kansas, noted, “I don’t understand how this becomes revenue positive; no one is paying co pays, no one is paying, how can this be revenue positive?” Which led to Senator Vicki Schmidt noting: “Fewer sick people means more people working. More people working in health care means more people working. I stand by these numbers.”
The measure to move to a final vote passed 25-13, and the final vote appears scheduled for Thursday.
While the measure isn’t enough to override the likely veto, it sends a powerful message from both the Kansas House and Kansas Senate, where once the measure was allowed to be debated openly and on the floor, members knew how their district felt and couldn’t vote the other way.
“We can get there,” said Rep. Jim Ward in 2015, “If this gets to the floor and they have to debate it, it will be damned hard for them to say no,” he told an audience in Wichita.
Today, his words rang true again in the state house, where across the hall, a coalition of Republican and Democratic Party members prepared to send the governor a bill to expand Medicaid, and force his hand on having to veto a bill overwhelmingly popular in the state, and demanded by many, especially those scared of losing their local hospital.
For tonight though, a coalition of the reasonable prevailed.
Kansas & Missouri Kossacks
Contact the Daily Kos group Kansas & Missouri Kossacks by kosmail(members of Daily Kos only).
Contact Chris Reeves with news, tips, and/or information by email. tmservo433@gmail.com
Follow Chris on Twitter @tmservo433.
If you would like to publish or republish a Daily Kos diary to the group Kansas & Missouri Kossacks, please let us know by kosmail or email.
If you have a location or story that needs support from Connect! Unite! Act!, please let us know by kosmail or email.